Combined integral plastic picture frame and mat



G. J. DODGE Sept. 28, 1965 COMBINED INTEGRAL PLASTIC PICTURE FRAME AND MAT Filed April 24, 1961 INVENTOR. George J Danye BY 14 TTOENE Y5 VII/ll/l A 2 4 United States Patent 3,208,876 COMBINED INTEGRAL PLASTIC PICTURE FRAME AND MAT George J. Dodge, Westport, N.Y., assiguor to Dipak Mfg. Company, Inc, a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 24,1961, Ser. No. 104,934 3 Claims. (Cl. 117138.8)

This invention relates to an integral picture frame and mat and more particularly to such an article composed of expanded plastic material.

It has long been recognized that proper presentation of art work requires that the art work should be bordered or framed to set it off from its surroundings. Such frames usually are more expensive than the canvas or mat on which the artist paints. Moreover, these frames are commonly made of wood, which is difficult to pack, ship and store since frames will often split and crack due to changing atmospheric conditions. Due to these latent disadvantages, artists often refrain from purchasing frames until their work is completed. However, the artist is placed in a difiicult position because he cannot properly visualize how his art work will look in a frame and, therefore, he will often have to modify his work after framing. The above difficulties can be overcome by my invention.

An object of my invention is to provide an integral picture frame and mat which is sturdy, lightweight and economical.

Another object of my invention is to provide a combination picture frame and mat made from expanded plastic, which may be molded to any desired size and shape.

A further object of my invention is to provide an integral picture frame and mat wherein the artist will have his painting framed at all times.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my integral picture frame and mat; and

FIG. 2 is a vertical section along line 22 of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the integral picture frame and mat, generally referred to as 1, comprises a flat workreceiving portion 2, surrounded by a raised frame portion 3, which is coated with my improved composition 4. The outer frame 3 may be of any size or shape and may simulate various grained woods or ceramic designs.

The integral picture frame and mat is obtained by molding a mass of expanded plastic, preferably polystyrene. Foamed or expanded products so produced have, as illustrated in FIG. 2, an internal structure composed .of a multitude of closed cells. The outer surface is a thin skin having a smooth pebble-like surface which is the result of the fusion of the closed cells during the molding process. This thin skin is imprevious to paints and most liquids. However, many paints contain organic solvents which will cause the skin to dissolve and blend into the paint. Although this solubilizing will allow the paint to adhere to the thin outer skin, it also will destroy the color of the paint as well as the outer surface of the thin skin. Moreover, paints that do not contain organic solvents which will attack the polystyrene cannot adhere to the pebbled surface in a satisfactory manner and an artist attempting to paint on such a surface would find that the paint tends to creep vertically along the surface and spreads to settle in the small depressions in the surface.

Thus, it is apparent that the mat or fiat work-receiving portion 2 of the product of this invention is not of itself suitable to be painted upon, but I have provided the coating 4, which is quite critical in nature, to alter these undesirable properties. This completely solves the enumerated problems by filling in the depressions and sealing the pebbled surface from the solubilizing effects of the organic solvents in artists paints. Furthermore, the filler pigments provide a surface having enough increased total area, i.e. the exposed surface area of all the individual filler particles, to afford sufiicient skin friction for maximum adherence of water-soluble paints.

The coating 4 comprises a group of white inorganic pigments in an organic binder which provides a flat white surface which greatly enhances paint adherence and has the necessary pull for the artists brush. By pull is meant the drag or cohesion of the paint and brush with the coated surface.

The constituents of the pigment portion of the composition for forming the coating 4 are as follows: titanium dioxide, rutile titanium-calcium pigment, one commercial form being known as Ti-Cal, a product manufactured and distributed by the Dupont Company, lithopone and a mineral silicate, such as calcium silicate (wollastonite). The above pigments have all proven necessary to achieve the desired paint retention properties and their respective proportions by weight are as follows: titanium dioxide 34% to 36%, titanium calcium 11% to 12%, lithopone 10% to 11%, and calcium silicate 41% to 45%. The binder portion of the composition is the common liquid commercial grade of shellac resin in an organic solvent and should usually constitute from about 48% to 51% by weight of the total liquid coating composition. The shellac solution employed contains about 25% of resin solids and thus the amount of dried organic binder in the final coating 4 will range from about 20% to about 25% by weight.

The particle size of the pigments will determine the available surface area for the artists paint and normally will be such that the will pass through a to 98 minus 325 mesh screen.

Many experiments have been conducted but no other composition, either as to the pigment portion or binder portion, has been found which possesses to nearly the same degree, the necessary qualities which make it suitable for the present purpose.

My coating can be applied to the smooth pebbled surface of the expanded plastic by any conventional coating process, but spraying is preferred.

The picture frame and mat combination may be produced by several of the known molding processes for foamed polystyrene and related expanded plastics, i.e. the pre-expanded plastic is placed in a lightweight metal and heat is applied to expand the plastic to fill and conform to the shape of mold. The particular process actually employed would be determined by the size and shape of the integral picture frame and mat, as well as the number to be produced.

The following example is set forth as illustrative of but not as limiting the present invention:

Example There was prepared a coating composition having the following composition:

Percent by weight Pigments 49.56 Binder (liquid shellac) 50.44

The pigment portion of this composition was as fol- Calcium silicate 41 found to possess excellent paint receiving andretentionproperties.

It will, of course, be apparent that the improved p cture frame and mat in .its entirelyis a. lightweight nonbreakable article which will facilitateapackaging, shipping and storage. The many, beneficial qualities of a. plastic material are thereby utilized by my invention: and itsundesirable propertiesras.toLpaint retention. are overcome. Unlike. the normal wooden frames, .my. frame will not crack orsplit due/to changes .in.hurnidity and.temp era-v tureinzthe storagearea. 7

As to the decorative features of my invention,.the,pos-- sibilities are. limitless Various designsmay bemolded into theframeportionto simulate wood, leather or-tiled surfaces, and. by selecting. theproper. coloring: techniques, attractivefacsimilies may be obtained.

Another. feature resulting from-theuseof myv'improved.

integralflplastic picture frameand .matis that the artist may now visualize how. hisworkwillilook. in the frame during. all stages of its development. Inathis' manner, the overall study ofthe effect of Ihiswork may be realized and thev artist-neednot.frame the painting as requiredby the use-of a regular frame andcanvas.

Aswill be realized, ,my' invention -readilylends..itself.

to modernmass productionv methods. The entire unit may be manufactured by mechanical meansrina con-.

tinuous process and be packagedreadyfor shipment. Theparticular method most-readily adaptable for producing.

my integral picture framerand. mat is to mold the entire unitin a high pressure, heatedmold, and thentospray the coating of pigments andorganic binder on.=that. surface of-themat which later willbe painted. Ma'ny obyiousmodifications will occur to thoseskilled inthe art and maybe made inthe present-productwithout departing from the spirit of theinventionclaimed as follows.

I claim:

1'. Anartists mat comprisingia molded; fiatvworkre-.

ceiving sheet of expanded plastic and a coating comprising -25% shellac and 75-80% of a mixture of finely divided titanium dioxide, rutile titanium calcium, lithopone and calcium silicate secured to one surface of said sheet by said shellac hinder, the particle size of the finely divided pigments being such that they will substantially pass through a 325 mesh screen.

2. An artists mat as claimed in claim 1 in which said plastic is polystyrene and the inorganic ingredients of said coating are present in the following proportions by weight:

Percent Titaniumrdioxide 34 to 36 Titaniumtcalcium 11.to 12 Lithopone 10 to 11 Calcium silicate 41 to 45 3. An artists'mat as claimed in claim 2'in which said coating contains 80% by weight of inorganic ingredients in the'following proportions by weight:

Percent Titanium dioxide 36 Titanium calcium l2 Lithopone 11 Calcium silicate 41 and 20 %:.by' weight ofashellac binder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,037,038 4/36 Morrison 3566 2,296,596 9/42 Brown 40-154 -2,486;97'1" 11/49" Ohlmann;

2,650,909 9/53 Betsch. 2,681,527 6 /54 Sundt 55-66 X 2,840,487 6/58 Messina 117-l0 2,953,469 9/60 Fox;

3,057,097 10/62 Douglas 4124 ALEXANDER WYMAN, Primary Examiner.

EDW ARDLV. BENHA-M-,.JACOB STEINBERG, EARL M. BERGER-T, Examiners. 

1. AN ARTIST''S MAT COMPRISING A MOLDED, FLAT WORK RECEIVING SHEET OF EXPANDED PLASTIC AND A COATING COMPRISING 20-25% SHELLAC AND 75-80% OF A MIXTURE OF FINELY DIVIDED TITANIUM DIOXIDE,RUTILE TITANIUM CALCIUM, LITHOPONE AND CALCIUM SILICATE SECURED TO ONE SURFACE OF SAID SHEET BY SAID SHELLAC BINDER, THE PARTICLE SIZE OF THE FINELY DIVIDED PIGMENTS BEING SUCH THAT THEY WILL SUBSTANTIALLY PASS THROUGH A 325 MESH SCREEN. 